Robust superhydrophobic materials providing protections from
harsh weather events such as hurricanes, high temperatures, and
humid/frigid conditions have proven challenging to achieve. Here,
we report a porous bulk nanocomposite comprising carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The nanocomposites are prepared using a templated approach by infusing
a CNT/PTFE dispersion into a sponge followed by thermal annealing
and decomposition of the sponge template. Importantly, an excess
accretion of CNT/PFFE particle mixture on the sponge resulted in
nanocomposites with unique and hierarchical porous microstructure, featuring nanochannels near the surface connected to microscale pores inside. The superhydrophobic nanocomposite could
resist liquid jets impacting at a velocity of �85.4 m s1 (Weber
number of �202,588) and exhibits excellent high-temperature
resistance as well as mechanochemical robustness. The porous
nanocomposites display excellent icephobicity both with and
without infusion with polydimethylsiloxane/silicone oil. These properties should facilitate exploitation as stiff/strong structural polymeric foams used in a variety of fields
